Is AIESEC a solution to Namibian unemployed graduates?

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These words are painfully familiar to a lot of millennials starting their careers. We are eager to get a job and get experience, but you need the experience to get a job, and the whole thing starts to sound like an updated version of the chicken or egg dilemma. There are many reasons why it's harder for us today than it was for the older generations. Companies expect graduates to have certain skills rather than provide training for them for a position. Business requirements are also changing fast, which makes it hard for universities to keep up giving the students the relevant skills for work.

Navigating in this uncertain environment is stressful, but eventually, most people figure it out and manage to start up their career, but for some, it takes more time than others. When you get turned down from one job opportunity after another, things can start to seem very grim. Why even try when it starts to look impossible? Some start having difficulties sleeping and sustained stress can lead to anxiety, and even worse depression. The recent demonstration that took place last week, with graduates taking to the streets showing their distress and making demands from the government to provide them with employment is something that we at AIESEC followed very closely.

Attitude and psychology can influence you a lot in how you react to problems and face challenges in your everyday life. It is not something born with you but obtained out of hard work and healthy routine. The majority of business leaders believe that there is a significant gap between the skills and competences students are equipped with at university, and the ones they would need in their first jobs. Internships are a great way to bridge this gap, but a lot of business leaders especially in Namibia battle with the thought if it is truly beneficial or cost efficient to have interns. Training and developing an intern takes a lot of time, and by the time they are actually starting to bring results, it might already be the end of their internship, so they might not provide immediate return on investment. However, by properly taking care of your interns, they can actually be seen as a long-term investment for a company.